If butter tarts are too sweet for your liking, there will be more than enough pickleballs to fill your interests.
The inaugural Butter Tart Classic Pickleball Tournament will take place from June 9 to 11, put together by the Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre in partnership with Taylored Pickleball Academy.
As per a letter of correspondence sent to Midland council regarding the rental of pickleball courts at Tiffin Park for the three-day event and tentative reservation of indoor courts at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre costing $1,500, the GBCSC requested council waive the court rental fees on that weekend.
The GBCSC in Penetanguishene is Ontario’s first rural-based cancer support centre serving North Simcoe, Springwater Township, and parts of Southern Georgian Bay.
The centre is dedicated to providing emotional, physical, social, and spiritual support, education, and information for people dealing with cancer as well as their families and caregivers. Services provided by the GBCSC include individual counselling, group support, wellness and exercise, social groups, support for out-of-area treatment costs and wig fittings.
The matter was brought forward at the recent regular meeting of council, with Mayor Bill Gordon noting that the fee would be waived through the council administration budget as per staff recommendations.
“We get approached for a lot of things like this,” Gordon explained to the new term of council. “By default, the normal staff position is we don’t waive fees for things like this; there’s a fee schedule on purpose so we need that. And it sets precedents.
“This is one, for whatever reason, I’m glad staff found a way to do this,” added Gordon on finding a compromise that worked for everyone involved.
“We welcome the pickleballers on Butter Tart day,” said Gordon. “Get some exercise to offset the sugar.”
New players to pickleball can get introduced to the sport on Friday June 9 through clinics, with the all-ages tournament to be held in four divisions – youth, men, women, and mixed – on June 10 and 11. Full details on the event are available on the Taylored Pickleball Academy website.
The GBCSC fee waive request letter is available in full in the council agenda on the Town of Midland website.
Council meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, and can be viewed on Rogers TV cable channel 53, or through the livestream on the Rogers TV website. Archives of council meetings are available through Rogers TV and on the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel.
